Tea addict
by FrenchCirce
Summary: My share for the FLUFF WEEK! Tea and troubles are the pavement on Mai and Naru's road...
1. Tea addict

**God bless the fluff week! I've had quite a difficult time recently, and fluff is really what I needed to lift my mood. Thanks to you, participants!**

 **Sooo, now about this little piece of mine: last night I had a bout of insomnia, and having read all these cute pieces about Naru and Mai somehow led me to think about writing one, too. So here I am, well it may be a crappy one but I enjoyed doing it nonetheless, hope it will entertain you too.**

 **Disclaimer: of course, I don't own Ghost Hunt (even if I really wish I did)**

* * *

Oliver Davis loved drinking tea. For evident and perfectly understandable reasons.

First of all, he was an Englishman, and tea was that make his adoptive country go round. People there considered it panaceas, and always found an excuse to sip some, whatever the time of the day, the season or the mood. You just couldn't avoid tea in England, and he had learned to welcome it since his childhood years.

Second, tea was a reliable source of caffeine, which helpfully increased his ability to stay in a concentrated state anytime, and particularly when working on cases (and looking after idiots who always manage to get into trouble, especially brown-haired, cinnamon-eyed high schoolers, but that was getting off track). Moreover tea contained tanins and several antioxidants, which were proven to be good for the health.

And last, tea, when made the adequate way (understand, the way _he_ likes it), had a wonderful relaxing warmth and a delicious taste.

When he came to Japan, he had been glad to find that people there were also adamant about their tea. It had given him an excuse to ask for it every hour without getting any suspicion in return. He had kept his true identity undercover without losing the opportunity of drinking his precious black liquid. That his young assistant learned to prepare exactly according to his requirements.

Yes, the tea made by Mai was really enjoyable. The taste of the beverage itself wasn't anything exceptional, but somehow, she always managed to add an _atmosphere_ to it. When she was in a happy mood and came beaming into his office, tray in hands, the cup would taste like sunshine, or summer, warming his insides like anything else. When she was angry at him because of his teasing, it would get a heating, spicy feeling (he particularly liked this one, and the lovely shades of red she sported when he pushed her buttons, but that was getting off tracks again). When she was annoyed (at him, mostly), he could detect bitterness, when she was sad, he could swear it was slightly salty. With her, every day had a new flavor.

He wondered if her tea would taste the same after his return, in a few days. Right now, the steaming cup of earl grey in his hands, courtesy of his mother, had the suitable warmth and color. But somehow, he missed the personal touch Mai was always able to add. No, to be perfectly honest with himself, which he took pride to be most of the time, he missed the girl.

Yes, he missed that idiot, kind and easy-to-tease girl. Who was unluckily in love with his dead brother. The thought had saddened him, irked him to no end, angered him, even. As long as he could remember, Gene had always been the object of the affection of the girls, to their mutual satisfaction. He hated the fuss silly hormonal female teenagers made around them, and Gene gladly kept them at bay for him, flirting with ease, leaving him in a quiet and welcomed shadow. And he had never wished it to be otherwise. Until this fateful day. « He always saved me », Mai had said, tears in her eyes, but how hadn't she realized that he had, too? That he had always watched her, looked out for her, rescued her on a regular basis, if not emotionally, physically at least? Damnit, after this disastrous confession he had even comforted her, baiting her with sarcastic comments to angry her, so that she could bounce back to her combattive optimistic self again. He had gone as far as hiding his own shock and disappointment for her sake.

Oliver sighed dejectedly in his cup. He could never be Gene, openly kind and full of sweet smiles. He couldn't afford to be too compassionate, his paranormal skills prevented him to do so. He couldn't lose his temper. He couldn't let the distress of other affect him too much. He couldn't lower his guard for too long. His own kindness was shown in subtle ways, that very few people were able to detect. He thought Mai was one of them. Well, deep down, he knew she was. Oliver Davis, no, _Naru_ as she had dubbed him _,_ was willing to let her have a glimpse of his damaged soul. Maybe, with time, she would learn to appreciate his roundabout ways of caring. Maybe, she would understand that his affection wasn't a fleeting feeling, but a profound and unwavering emotion. That he wasn't flirtatious ans sociable, like Gene, but that he was serious about everything he thought was worth it. And worth it, she definitely was.

He would come back, and take as much time as necessary to regain her trust and build a healthy relationship. Whatever it may be, friendship or more, he was willing to take. He wouldn't be anything else than himself though, with flaws and all. But maybe, one day, it will be enough for her. Be it in years, he didn't care. They were both young, time wasn't an issue.

* * *

-Mai, Tea!

He liked how the phrase rolled on his tongue, and he liked even more the steaming porcelain cup coming as a result. Said Mai stomped rather angrily in his office, shoving less than delicately the offending piece of furniture on his desk.

\- Naru, you slave driver! The last one was only half an hour ago! Let me at least enough time to sit down once in a while!

\- Mai, I pay you for making me tea. You have no ground for complaining.

She grumbled something under her breath, her complexion getting redder and her eyes taking a fiery glow while glaring at him.

Naru took a sip of her tea, and couldn't help but smirk. Spicy. Excellent.

When he had come back a few months ago, he had been pleased to find out that things between them hadn't changed much. The tea hadn't lost his taste. Mai was still her bubbly happy self. He had returned to his secretive self again. Their friendship, as far as one could call that their relationship, hasn't been really damaged. Compassionate and kind as she was, Mai had easily forgiven him, and her happiness to see him again when he had returned had seem genuine. She still trusted him, in spite of all his previous lies. And amazingly enough, so did the rest of the team. He had surprised himself feeling relieved to find everyone greeting him like nothing had happened. Like he was welcomed. And more disturbing for him, he felt good being back, it was like... coming home.

Without the burden of searching for his dead brother and lying to his coworkers and, dare he say, friends (although he would _never_ say that out loud for the idiots to hear), the atmosphere was lighter. Social interactions that he used to loath suddenly didn't seem so irritating. Well, he was still a narcissistic workaholic, an idiot scientist, but felt now enough at ease to try to open up a little. Just a little. And just to Mai.

Mai, speaking of who, was glaring at him furiously, still waiting for him to show some manners and thank her. She always did, although she knew perfectly well that she would end up disappointed by his lack of reaction and gratitude.

Just for once, he thought, he should bend his rules for her. It could be a good start to show her some unknown bits of himself, so she could understand him better. And maybe, then...He decided to give it a try, and cleared his throat as he addressed his assistant.

\- Mai, he warned in a low tone, I will only say it once, so listen closely.

Mai's features rapidly changed from irritated to curious, then to triumphant. She was obviously expecting his thanks, and she leaned a little to hear him better, grinning.

\- Yes, Naru?

He sighed softly, and said, with the slightest unease:

\- Your tea is delicious, really. I mean it.

That wasn't the "thank you" she probably wanted to hear, but Mai reacted satisfactorily nonetheless. She almost let the tray slip in her hand in surprise, mouth slightly open, eyes wide.

\- I...I'm glad you like it, she said, stuttering a bit, suddenly all shyness.

He watched with masked satisfaction her cheeks becoming bright red under the praise. And when he leveled his gaze to meet hers, his heart made an alien little leapt of joy. She was addressing him, _him_ , not Gene or anyone else, a wonderful smile adorned with sparkling eyes, radiating gratefulness. A smile telling him that he was someone important to her. Important enough that a few words from his mouth could still brighten her day.

Yes, he though smugly, it was definitely a good start. And softening a little wasn't an unpleasant experience after all.

His gaze following her small frame as she left his office, he began to wonder what kind of reaction he could elicit from her next time. Soon enough, he would thank her, or tell her something pleasant just for the sake of seeing this smile again. He couldn't wait to ask for another cup of tea. He was sure the next one would taste like summer.


	2. Mai's trouble

**First of all, thanks a lot to the kind reviewers who made the effort to leave me a comment. I really** **appreciated, it is nice having an audience for a change (I usually write for myself as a hobby, in French as you can guess from my pen name, and fan fiction is a nice alternative to my usual works).**

 **Concerning this story: here goes another sleepless night! I hadn't any intention to write it initially, but insomnia got the better of me. So I apologize in advance for any spelling or grammar mistake, I am rather exhausted and may stay so for the next days, so I really don't have enough courage to check it too closely.**

 **Well, I hope you'll like it. Dunno if it is fluffy enough.**

 **And as usual, I don't own Ghost Hunt.**

* * *

When she met him for the very first time, Mai immediately knew that he was synonym for trouble. While her friends were fretting over his annoyingly handsome face and started to flirt, she was held back by his fake smile, cold eyes and suspicious evasiveness. Yes, Kazuya Shibuya was screaming trouble. Her instinct told her to avoid him, and at that time, she had planed to do so. But fate seemed to have a different agenda.

So, they met accidentally again, and trouble she found. _Accidentally_ , was the key word. Indeed, an incredible amount of bad luck and complicated circumstances led a device to be broken and a man to go to the hospital. Well, she had to admit that her curiosity and clumsiness had _somehow_ been the trigger, even if she had done nothing wrong per se, and she had to agree having her share of responsibility. Kazuya Shibuya took advantage of her righteous mind (and poverty, since the device had the nerve to be expensive) to turn her into a slave that he called « temporary assistant ».

The temporary then became permanent. As she assisted him with ghost hunting, she stepped into the dangerous world of spirits. Spirits who definitively meant trouble, as she found herself thrown into wells, possessed multiple times, trapped in sewers and hurt with various pieces of furniture. She had to deal with scary phenomena and got to see a couple of really disturbing things, but that wasn't the real issue. No, what got her in _real_ trouble was her boss. How she hated him at first! He was cold, arrogant, full of himself, tight-lipped and secretive. Like he had all the knowledge of the world and didn't care to share, despising the poor unfortunate souls that didn't have an IQ high enough to match Einstein's. Was it her fault if her own IQ was totally average, and if her knowledge about paranormal was limited to childish ghost stories? Eh, what if the guy was the head of his own company, and was obviously smart? On top of that, what if he was stupidly handsome and attractive, and knew it all too well!? He was just _Naru_ , as she nicknamed him, a horrible narcissist who managed to infuriate her constantly with sarcastic remarks. That's what she told herself at first. But at the end of their first case, freed from her debt, she strangely missed him. And realized she was in love with the coldest and less empathic guy ever. Talk about trouble!

How could she not love him, however? Said Naru had wormed his way in her life, apparently unaware of the impact of his actions. She had financial difficulties, he offered her a well-paid job, and became the hand that fed her. She was an orphan, he was the leader of a wonderful working team, in which she found a makeshift family. She wanted to be special, he discovered her to be a latent psychic. All too soon he became an essential part of her life and thoughts. A mere word or a mere gesture from him and she was either in high spirits, or blind with fury. He had a way to draw the worst and the best out of her. She even saw him in her sleep, a kind and smiling facet of the young man that she wished so much to see in reality. He was everywhere, showing her dreams, shielding her from falling ceilings, entertaining her in sewers, calling for tea every minute, teasing her constantly, fighting with her, teaching her, scolding her. She was so full of him that she realized too late that she was trapped, and that there was no escape: her world basically revolved around him. He had a rather difficult personality, she was well aware of it, and he had obviously no romantic interest in her, though he seemed closer to her than to everyone else. Nevertheless it seemed that she had fallen in love with him. Very deeply. Yes, she was definitely, totally in trouble.

* * *

One fateful day, he turned her world upside down. He wasn't Kazuya Shibuya, the Japanese ghost hunter, but the famous Oliver Davis, _honorific Professor of parapsychology_ Davis, from England. She should have known he was a fake, her instinct had told her so, after all. But she just couldn't make herself to really care. She didn't know Shibuya, or Davis, she knew _Naru_ , and that was all that mattered to her.

But that wasn't all. Naru had kept a rather explosive secret: he was in Japan in order to found his dead brother. Dead, medium _twin_ brother, Eugene. Who apparently was the kind soul visiting her in her sleep. When she confessed to Naru, he had to outsmart her once again: she was in love with the smiling Gene of her dreams, not the insensitive guy she worked with. Confusion, sorrow, desperation and dread altogether clouded her mind: the person she loved was dead and definitely gone, and Naru was about to go back to England, leaving her with nothing. She saw her world crumbling before her eyes. That day, she feared she had lost everything. Her mean of subsistence, her family, her love. How had she managed to be in so much trouble at such a young age?

* * *

\- Mai, Tea!

« Not again! » she thought angrily, aiming for the kettle nonetheless to grant her boss' wish. Her life had gone back to normal, and the trouble had vanished. Well, the sentimental one, at least. The physical part was another story.

To her utmost relief, Naru, _Oliver,_ had come back after a short while. And so had done Gene. When she had seen the spirit's smiling face again, she had felt butterflies in her stomach. But after taking some time to sort her feelings properly, she had to admit the truth: she had fooled herself to loving someone who wasn't even real. Yes, she loved Gene sweet smiles, but she had assumed that he was a sort of gentle and kind Naru. Who he was, no _had been_ , in reality, she had no idea, and would sadly probably never know. And the Naru she had loved was a delusion of who she imagined he could be, compassionate and secretly sweet, not who he really was. Well, she still suspected he had a soft side. He had hired her out of compassion after all, and had given her willingly a portrait of him and Gene when she was heartbroken. But he had the annoying habit of hiding every nice gesture he could make behind cold logic or some sly excuse.

Truth to be told, she hadn't been fair with any of the Davis twins: she had been in love with an illusion. It had hurt, she had shed some tears about it but honesty was the best policy, and after some time she had begun to feel calmer, and the hurt had subsided.

So it was with an appeased heart and mind that she had decided to start over: she would offer Naru, the infuriating, insensitive, arrogant but real one this time, her friendship, and would make her best to understand him. The background of Oliver Davis had already put some light on certain traits of his personality, and now that he didn't have to lie anymore, she knew she would be able to sort him trough. They had been kind of close once, and she knew she wanted him to stay in her life. He had offered her, albeit reluctantly, so much. She now had every intention to repay him by being his loyal friend, against his will if necessary.

Well, that would be for later, because at that precise moment she was very annoyed at him. The stupid tea was ready, so she stomped in her boss office and shoved the offending teacup rather briskly on his desk.

\- Naru, you slave driver! The last one was only half an hour ago! Let me at least enough time to sit down once in a while!

\- Mai, I pay you for making me tea. You have no ground for complaining.

Aargh, infuriating as always! She felt her blood starting to boil and glared at him while he smirked, sipping his tea contentedly. As usual she waited for him to show some manners and say his thanks. Hell, she was full of good will toward him, and really wanted to be on friendly terms with him, but she didn't want it to be one-sided! Couldn't he be at least _polite_ for a change? She was awoken of her internal ranting by the sound of Naru clearing his throat.

\- Mai, he warned in a low tone, I will only say it once so listen closely.

Uh? Could it be…no way!

« Victory! » she screamed in her mind, he was finally caving in! Grinning and pleased with herself and her obstinacy (which finally paid), she leaned a little to hear him better, savoring the moment in advance.

\- Yes, Naru?

He sighed softly, and said something totally unexpected:

\- Your tea is delicious, really. I mean it.

Her mind went blank for a moment, before she processed what he had said. She almost let her tray slip from her hand, and felt her cheeks flush scarlet. Hell must have frozen over. He had praised her. Well, her tea, but it was a _praise_ , from _Naru_! That was no small feat.

To her utter dismay, she felt suddenly stupidly shy and giddy, stuttering a bit while responding:

\- I…I'm glad you like it.

And she really was. She couldn't help but address him her warmest happy smile. She was aware of the effort he had made, saying these few words. He had made a step in her direction, and she felt warm and light-headed being the aim of his nice comment. When her gaze met his, she had to force herself to break eye contact and leave his office.

She headed to her desk, clutching her flushed cheeks, a stupid smile plastered on her face. It was at that moment that realization hit her. She may not be totally out of trouble after all.


End file.
